“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7-8
Bearing Christ’s name demands more than “good enough.”
Christians sometimes demonstrate a bad habit: Too often, we contort our theology to avoid the work it takes to be excellent at the responsibilities God assigned us to advance His kingdom.
Reformed folks sometimes try to hide behind “God’s sovereignty” as an excuse to avoid pursuing excellence. Provisionists and Arminians, on the other hand, often hide behind “love” and “grace” to dodge the conflicts and hard truths that naturally come with striving for excellence.
Both can turn truth into a shield for mediocrity. But God didn’t save us to coast—He saved us for a purpose. His attributes aren’t permission to be passive. They’re a call to step up and do the hard things faithfully.
“Man is not a rational animal; he is a rationalizing animal.”— Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
Allow me share a couple examples regularly encountered. Apologetics is the rational defense of the Christian faith, using reason, evidence, and Scripture to answer objections and clarify truth. Apologetics is clearly commanded for believers by none other than the Apostle Peter himself.
“But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect.” — 1 Peter 3:15
Yet here are probably the top ten common objections when you encourage someone to learn apologetics so they may defend our faith in their day-to-day life as the opportunity arises:
- “You can’t argue someone into the kingdom.”
- “God doesn’t need us to defend Him.”
- “Just preach the Gospel—don’t complicate it.”
- “Faith isn’t about facts, it’s about trust.”
- “The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it.”
- “People don’t need answers, they need Jesus.”
- “It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict, not ours to explain.”
- “We walk by faith, not by sight.” (Misapplied to avoid evidence-based discussion)
- “Truth is revealed, not reasoned.”
- “Debating only causes division.”
You will often hear the same objections when you encourage people to practice and become skilled at engaging in Gospel conversations and sharing the Gospel. Or perhaps they will quote Matthew 10:19-20 out of context:
“When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
It is possible many people who say these things were taught them and genuinely believe them. There are elements of truth in each, to be certain. It’s also possible I’m wrong about everything and am embarrassing myself here. However, long experience has taught me that many instances are people simply masking their unwillingness to do hard things with a scriptural rationalization. Perhaps it’s fear or insecurity. Perhaps it’s pure laziness. Perhaps it’s ignorance. I know I’ve been guilty of it in my life, to be sure.
It is true that God is sovereign, meaning He has power over all things, but I cannot predict His plan for my role in advancing the Kingdom. Therefore, I cannot sit back and say, “If God wants X to happen, He’ll simply miracle it to happen.” Could he? Certainly He could. However, He has decided to use us, his Church on Earth, to accomplish His purposes.
That means that I am responsible to Him to do my duty as revealed in His Word. Whether it be sharing the Gospel, showing love to others, defending the Faith, playing guitar for worship, volunteering in the community, or doing anything else, I should pursue excellence as an offering to Him. Commanded to share the Gospel? We all are. Put in the work and get good at it. Commanded to have a ready answer in defense of our faith? We all are. Put in the work and good at it. Are you a children’s Sunday School teacher? Youth Group small group leader? Church custodian? Worship team member?
Put. In. The. Work.
Get. Good. At. It.
Give God your best.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” — Colossians 3:23
Some say, “God just wants our hearts and doesn’t care how well our efforts turn out.” As evidence for this, look to the example of far too many Christian movies, or Christian music that seeks to imitate secular music, but poorly. Good intentions and pure motives to serve the Lord are a good start, but those intentions and motives should result in seeking actual competence that best serves to advance His Kingdom.
Christ calls us to love one another and show compassion, grace, and mercy. He is sovereign and sustains the universe by the power of His word. These things are true. Our responsibility to Him, however, is not just to be friendly and kind and generally good-natured and well-intentioned. Our Lord calls us to competence in all we do. We should expect competence from ourselves, and encourage it in our brothers and sisters in Christ. If we bear the name of Christ, then as reflections upon him we should pursue excellence, and never look to rationalize “good enough” in our Christian duty.
While God absolutely wants our hearts, a heart truly devoted to Him should produce a whole-hearted effort to be excellent in what we do for the sake of the One we love.
Amplified Being 